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An interview with
CELEY EDWARDS
Darwin, Oklahoma
Interview with CELEY EDWARDS
Post Office: Darwin, Oklahoma
Date of
Interview: June 28, 1937
Johnson H. Hampton, Field Worker
Transcribed
& Submitted by Teresa Young
I don't know just when I was born,
but I have been told by some Indians that I am seventy years old. I was born
near what is now known as Finley, Oklahoma, a small village about twelve
miles northeast of Antlers, Oklahoma. At that time, it was known as Cedar
County, Choctaw Nation.
My father's name was Edmond Durant, and my
mother's name was Simmie Durant and both were reared near Finley, Oklahoma.
My grandfather was named Alexander McCan and my grandmother's name was Elize
McCan. I have been told that they were from Mississippi, but where they
located when they came here, I don't know.
We had a small farm of
about five acres. That was the size of the farms in this country at that
time or at least in the community in which I lived. We had some cattle,
hogs, and ponies on our farm, not many but we had enough for our uses. The
grass was good in the country, so we did not have to feed our stock any feed
during the winter. They ran out all the time, and in the winter, they would
go into the bottoms and run there until in the summer when they would come
out on the hills and mountains Then the men would gather them up and brand
them and turn them loose again to roam in the hills and mountains without
being molested by anyone. They surely were wild.
The best time the
Indians had was they got ready to gather the stock. A bunch of them would
get together and go after the ponies and maybe run them for three or four
days before they would get them into the pen. They had pens built out in the
woods with wings running on both sides of the fence and while some of the
Indians would go after them, some would stay and guard the fence. When they
got close to the fence some Indian would give a loud whoop, then the Indians
who were guarding the wing would head the ponies into the wing. In that way
they would pen the ponies.
We raised enough corn for our bread and
that was about all the bread we had. Flour was nearly unknown to us. We. had
flour only for Sunday breakfast, our cornmeal was different to the cornmeal
we have now; it was made by beating in a mortar or Tom Fuller block as they
were called. It took hard work to make the meal in these blocks but it had
to be done. We made shuck bread and cornbread and another kind of bread out
of the meal, and we made two kinds of hominy, one of which we cooked with
hog bones, and it was good to eat. Then we had a gritter that we used in
making meal. We would soak the corn in the ear and the next morning we would
take this corn and grit it on a gritter. This gritter was made by punching
holes in a tin using a big nail, and just filling the tin full of holes.
Then you nailed this tin on a board with nails which held it firm. By using
the rough side of it, which was sharp, it would grit the corn fast. We would
grit enough for our breakfast in a little or no time.
My mother had a
spinning wheel and a weaver, and she would make cloth out of cotton. She
would spin enough cotton to make a big ball of thread; then she would take
this and put it in the wheel and turn the wheel until it was just as hard as
she could make it; then she would put it into the weaver and weave cloth. We
used cotton for making shirts, breeches, and dresses. She would dye the
cloth white, yellow, red, and black using some roots, some bark of trees for
dyeing. I used to help her but it has been so long I just don't remember
what she used.
We had some sheep on our farm, not many, which we sheared
for wool. Mother would shear the sheep and then she would take the wool and
wash it; then she would card it like cotton and make woolen socks and woolen
mittens. These would sell to those who wanted them, I don't know what she
got for them, she traded for something to eat.
My mother did not make
any pottery but we had an old woman who lived in our community who did make
them. Just for common pottery, she would use red clay and something else.
She did not make big ones but small sizes, just big enough to hold about a
gallon of Tomfuller. For the fancy ones, she would beat up mussel shells and
mix it with the red clay and when she got this kind finished the pottery
would look nice. It would just glitter, being the fancy kind, I don't know
what she got for them. The other kind did not cost much but she sold both
kinds.
Where we lived, there were lots of wild game, deer, turkey, and
lots of fish in the creeks. We did have a good time fishing in those creeks.
The men would get out and kill deer and turkey so that we had plenty of meat
to eat. The only thing we didn't have was lard with which to season our
meat, but we could kill a hog for our lard. The hogs were fat so we had lard
when we killed a hog.
I never saw a scalp dance. I have heard of them
having a dance of that kind but I don't know anything about it, and I never
saw a war dance. They had war dances I have been told but I don't know about
it. But we used to have dances I don't know what they called our dance but
we used to dance all night and have a good time. I have been to several
Indian ball games. They would have then every once in a while. If they were
going to have a ball game, about two weeks before the game, an Indian would
get on his pony and ride through the neighborhood announcing the ball game
to those with whom they wanted to play. They would paint their faces with
something red and when they would get to the house, he would make a long
talk about the game; when it was going to be and where at, then he would
ride off in a run, and when the time came for the game, they would camp at
the place where the game was to be, stay all night; then they would get up
the goal and get ready for the game. They would fight before the game
sometimes and then again; they would fight during the game. They used the
ball sticks for a club. Some of them would have a hole at the end of the
stick and have some lead in it which made it heavy.
I have never been
to school. I can't read nor write in English, nor in my own language which
is Choctaw, and can't speak English at all. I am a full-blood Choctaw
Indian. My parents and I have lived here in the county all of our lives. I
don't know what to tell. I knew of a lot of things at about 25 or 30 years
ago but not now.
Transcribed & Submitted by Teresa Young
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